Patience or Pride

Have you ever had a car zoom past only to catch up with it at the next light? The driver squeals his tires, changes lanes several times, then ends up trapped behind a slower vehicle. His persistent honking, flailing arm and hand motions are evidence he is not happy.

Then, there’s the lady at the grocery store who shifts from register to register in search of the fastest line. In her lack of patience she finds herself still standing when you are walking away with your purchase. She huffs, shuffles her feet, and ends up needing a price check. She throws her items on the counter, shouts profanities, and stomps out the door.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” NIV

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” NIV

Webster’s Dictionary defines patience as the quality of being patient: capacity of calm endurance. It defines pride as an overly high opinion of ones self.

How well do you wait? What kind of example do you set for others?

God intended for you to trust Him in all things and to be at peace. He never said there wouldn’t be trials, but He did promise to be with you through them. Impatience brings about anxiety and anger, which can have a negative affect on you body. Arrogant pride may not directly affect the body, but it will certainly squelch friendships.

Consider this:

If you are patient in the midst of chaos you display God’s peace to those around you. However, if your impatience causes you to loose composure, people will assume this is the way you always behave. It will destroy your character.

Pride has two sides. There’s the pride that causes you to be respectful and treat others equally which enhances your integrity. Then, there’s the pride that causes you to look down on others because they don’t measure up to your standards. Another word to describe this type of pride is haughtiness.

“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook and offense.” Proverbs 19:11 NIV

Everyone has to wait…for something. Your turn in line at the store, your appointment with the doctor, your order at the drive-thru. You wait for the train to pass, the light to turn green, and your turn at the gas pump. You do wait, but how well do handle the wait?

Do you improve your integrity or damage your character?

It’s something to think about.

It’s never too late for an attitude adjustment if you need one. God cares about you and what concerns you. If you ask Him to help you handle life better, He will. But you must ask Him to forgive you for your failures. He wants to know you are sincere. In turn, He will grant you wisdom to help you make the right choices, help you walk in patience, and maintain a healthy sense of pride.

Loretta